11/30/2007 05:02:00 pm -
Reported by
Josiah Rowe

Bits and bobs from the media about Doctor Who actors:

Scottish television station STV has a video item about the Spirit of Scotland Awards, including a clip of David Tennant speaking from the TARDIS set. Also on STV, John Barrowman was recently interviewed for the program Scotland Today, and an extended version of the interview is available on the STV website. Barrowman discusses his Glasgow roots, his new album Another Side, as well as the return of Captain Jack in Torchwood Series 2 andDoctor WhoSeries 4. Captain Jack was recently voted one of the "Top 25 Gay TV Characters" by AfterElton.com.

The Sun reports that Sean Pertwee, son of Third Doctor Jon Pertwee, would like a role in Doctor Who, and once put a bet on himself becoming the next Doctor. The Sun also reports that ITV2 has picked up Billie Piper's sexually charged series The Secret Diary of a Call Girl for a second series.The Times has an interview with Pauline Collins (Queen Victoria in 2006's "Tooth and Claw" and Samantha Briggs in 1967's "The Faceless Ones"); Collins is appearing as the Fairy Godmother in the Royal Vic's production of Cinderella. Finally, Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) turned on the Christmas lights in Beccles, Suffolk.

11/29/2007 05:04:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

As part of the celebrations of 10 years since the launch of BBC.co.uk, Martin Belam, a former Senior Development Producer at the BBC has written a BBC blog looking back at 10 years of the BBC promoting Doctor Who on the web.

Meanwhile the magazine SFX is asking for fans help in spotting all references to Doctor Who on Television over the next few weeks. In particular they want details of Trailers, interviews and features and mentions of Doctor Who in other dramas, comedies and light entertainment shows. The magazine promises a name check for all who participate. For details follow the link.

11/29/2007 05:03:00 pm -
Reported by
Josiah Rowe

David Tennant has been awarded the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland award in the "Screen" category. He beat film actors James McAvoy andTilda Swinton, who were also nominated in the category. The Scotsman has further details of the awards.

11/28/2007 05:06:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

BBC Radio 2 have broadcast the documentary, X-Amining Kylie, in which David Tennant interviews Kylie Minogue.

Coinciding with the release of Minogue's tenth studio album X, Tennant talks to the pop princess about her life and work. The programme features a sneak preview of Voyage of the Damned, the BBC1 Doctor WhoChristmas special, which finds the Doctor aboard The Titanic.

The programme features a track-by-track taste of the new album, plus an exclusive song never before broadcast on the BBC.

11/28/2007 05:05:00 pm -
Reported by
Mike Doran

Canadian digital cable channel BBC Kids has announced that The Sarah Jane Adventureswill be coming to the channel in January 2008. The run starts with the premiere of the hour-long pilot "Invasion Of The Bane" on Sunday, January 13th at 9:00pm EST (repeated at 4:00am EST). Thereafter BBC Kids will run two episodes back-to-back every Sunday at 9:00pm EST with repeats at 4:00am EST.

11/28/2007 05:04:00 pm -
Reported by
Shaun Lyon

Gallifrey One -- North America's annual Doctor Who celebration in Los Angeles -- is announcing several new guests for the February 15-17, 2008 event,Gallifrey One's Nineteenth Symphony.

In conjunction with the Seventh Doctor theme of the weekend, Gallifrey One is delighted to welcome three guests who played an active part in the era:Andrew Cartmel, the script editor for the entire Sylvester McCoy years, who charted the course of the stories and character development from 1987 to 1989; Mark Ayres, the composer who contributed the incidental music for "The Greatest Show in the Galaxy," "Ghost Light" and "The Curse of Fenric"; and actress Lisa Bowerman, who guest starred in "Survival" before becoming the voice of spinoff companion Bernice "Benny" Summerfield for Big Finish productions. Meanwhile, Bowerman will be accompanied by the return of Jason Haigh-Elleryfrom Big Finish Productions, who will preview the company's 2008 Doctor Who releases. Also joining the convention for the weekend are writer/editor Simon Guerrier, whose work includes novels and short fiction for the Doctor Who lines as well as editing the "Short Trips" anthologies, and Steve Roberts of the Doctor Who Restoration Team, the group that for over a decade has remastered classic Doctor Who serials for the video and DVD era and produced many terrific extra features for the DVD sets. Gallifrey 2008 is also pleased to welcome back science fiction writer David Gerrold and actor/speaker/dealer Bob May from "Lost in Space"... with many other guests to be announced soon!

11/27/2007 05:07:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

BBC News have reported that Billie Piper will be returning to Doctor Who, portraying her original role of Rose Tyler.

The news was originally reported in today's Daily Mirror, which went on to say: The Time Lord, played by David Tennant, starts with Donna (Catherine Tate) as his helper, is then joined by Martha (Freema Agyeman) and then reunites with Billie's character Rose for the finale. A source said: "With Donna, Martha and Rose competing to assist him, Dr Who is going to be spoilt for choice." The paper also reported that the actress will be in at least three episodes of the new series. (also reported by The Hollywood News, Daily Record, Ananova, and Marie Claire)

The breaking news was actually reported on our very own Doctor Who Forum last night by fans present at filming in Cardiff, including photos of Billie Piper at the location. These can be found in the forum here if you really want to see them! Thanks to Brian_Damage and PMount for the reports.

Update: The official Doctor Who website has now confirmed that Piper is returning as Rose in Series 4, but adds, "Anything you may read elsewhere about when, how or for how long Rose returns to Doctor Who should be treated as pure speculation at this point."

Meanwhile, the BBC have also issued a general press release on the Christmas line-up, with the principal item being Doctor Who: "BBC One reaffirms its position as the one to watch with a formidable line-up of television's biggest and brightest award-winning stars. David Tennant stars as The Doctor in a very special edition of Doctor Who, alongside the one and only Kylie Minogue, who plays a waitress on the Titanic."

Billie Piper to return to Dr Who

Actress Billie Piper is to return to Doctor Who, the BBC has confirmed. She will star in three episodes of the sci-fi drama, reprising her role as the Doctor's companion, Rose Tyler.

Rose's return will mean the Doctor has three assistants in next year's series - Donna, played by Catherine Tate, and Freema Agyeman as Martha.

The new series begins in March and will run for 13 episodes. There will be three special editions in 2009 before the show takes a break until 2010.

11/27/2007 05:07:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Unofficial overnight figures for the final week of The Sarah Jane Adventures show that part two of The Lost Boy was watched by 1.2 millionviewers, a nine percent share of the total TV audience.

Final figures are now available for the first part of the series and show the programme has achieved ratings far in excess of the average for its time slot.

The highest rated episode so far is the season premier Revenge of the Slitheen Part 1which got a final rating of 1.4 million viewers. This is the highest audience this year for BBC1 in this time slot. The average audience for the time slot is 0.92 million viewers and the average audience for the first four episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures is 1.2 million.

Final figures are accepted as the industry standard, being much more accurate than the initial overnights. They include viewers who record the programme and watch it within seven days.

11/27/2007 05:06:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

The BBC Press Office has released information about the Doctor Who Christmas Special 2007.

Kylie Minogue steps back in time this festive season, as she joins Time Lord David Tennant for a spectacular Doctor Who Christmas Special set on board The Titanic.

At the end of the last series, viewers witnessed the [sic] The Titanic crash through the Tardis walls in spectacular style, and the action continues from that moment.

Kylie, who plays Astrid, a waitress on The Titanic, says: "It is an incredible thrill to be joining David and the entire Dr Who production for this year's Christmas special. Dr Who enjoys a unique history and it is going to be very exciting to be a part of that."

Two of Britain's best-loved sitcom actors, Geoffrey Palmer and Clive Swift, also feature in this Christmas episode.

Palmer, perhaps most famous for his roles in the long-running BBC series Butterflies and As Time Goes By, plays the role of Captain of The Titanic.

Kylie Minogue stars as Astrid, alongside David Tennant as The Doctor.

Voyage Of The Damned also features Gray O'Brien, who recently appeared in the Oscar-winning film The Queen; Debbie Chazen, star of the BBC comedy series The Smoking Room; Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe; Russell Tovey, from the smash-hit film The History Boys; Jimmy Vee, who previously appeared in Doctor Who as the Moxx of Balhoon; and George Costigan, who starred in The Long Firm and the acclaimed film Rita, Sue And Bob Too.

11/26/2007 05:09:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Issue 43 of Doctor Who Adventures celebrates Doctor Who's 44th birthday with a look back across the centuries with a guide to every Doctor. There's also news of the Sontarans, returning to the series next year. The magazine asks what will Donna make of them?

In Tales from the TARDIS find out David Tennant's favourite scene so far and the Comic strip is part two of Waste Not. Can the Doctor and Martha escape the Optimi and get back to the TARDIS?

Doctor’s Data loks at the Weeping Angels and the adventure guide looks at The Last of the Time Lords.

The magazine has four posters of Gallifrey, Last of the Time Lords, all the Doctors and the silent Scarecrows.

11/23/2007 05:09:00 pm -
Reported by
Kenny Davidson

November 23, 2007 • Posted By Kenny Davidson

Verity Lambert, O.B.E., the pioneering television producer who was instrumental in the foundation of Doctor Who as its first producer from 1963 to 1965, died yesterday, November 22, just a day before the series' 44th anniversary.

One of the UK's foremost television producers, Lambert's role as producer of Doctor Who was pivotal at the time, as, at the age of 27, she was the youngest and only female drama producer working at the BBC. As the first producer she was instrumental in creating the universe of Doctor Who and was responsible for some of the most important principles of the series, ensuring the programme's success over the years.

After she left the programme her credits and reputation continued to rise and she became one of the best known players in the industry. She oversaw such iconic productions as Adam Adamant Lives, Budgie, The Naked Civil Servant, Rock Follies, Rumpole of the Bailey, Edward and Mrs Simpson, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Minder, GBH and Jonathan Creek.

In 1985 Verity Lambert established her own independent production company, Cinema Verity. The company's first production was the 1988 feature film A Cry in the Dark, starring Sam Neill and Meryl Streep. Cinema Verity's first television series, the BBC1 sitcom May to December, ran from 1989 until 1994.

In 2000 two of her productions, Doctor Who and The Naked Civil Servant, finished third and fourth respectively in a British Film Institute poll of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes of the 20th century.

In the 2002 New Year's Honours list Lambert was awarded the O.B.E. for services to film and television production. In the same year she received BAFTA's Alan Clarke Award for Outstanding Contribution to Television.

She was due to receive the Working Title Films lifetime achievement award at the Women in Film and Television Awards on 7th December.

Russell T Davies, the current Executive Producer of Doctor Who, said: "There are a hundred people in Cardiff working on Doctor Who and millions of viewers, in particular many children, who love the programme that Verity helped create. This is her legacy and we will never forget that."

It is noteworthy that a tribute from the current production team was made in the 2007 story Human Nature, when the Doctor, as the character John Smith, mentions his mother's name was Verity.

Jane Tranter, Controller of BBC Fiction, said: "Verity was a total one-off. She was a magnificently, madly, inspirationally talented drama producer. During her long and brilliant career there was no form of drama that was beyond her reach and that she didn't excel at. From the early episodes of Doctor Who to the still to be transmitted comedy drama Love Soup, via Widows, Minder, GBH, Eldorado and Jonathan Creek (to name but the tiniest handful of credits) – Verity was a phenomenon. She made the television drama genre utterly her own. She was deaf to the notion of compromise and there wasn't an actor, writer, director or television executive she worked with who didn't regard her with admiration, respect and awe. She will be hugely missed but her legacy lives on in the dramas she made, and in the generations of eager young programme-makers she has inspired."

She added: "Today (Friday) is the 44th anniversary of her first ever episode of Doctor Who."

Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, said: "In Doctor Who, Verity Lambert has left a legacy that lives on in the new productions BBC Wales has been making since 2004. We in Wales owe her a debt of gratitude for handing on such a treasure which continues to be enjoyed the world over."

Waris Hussein, who directed the first episode of Doctor Who, said "Verity was not only my producer but a lifelong friend from the earliest days when we were assigned a programme called "Dr.Who" by the then Head of BBC Drama Sydney Newman. We were both at the beginning of our careers and anxious to do the best we could. Neither Verity or I could have realized the impact of "Dr. Who" and it is with wonder and happiness that I see what we created. Directors have come and gone but I am proud to say I was the person chosen to work with Verity and we were the ones, with Sydney's inspiration, to bring the series to life. Verity's subsequent success was inevitable and I was glad to be a part of it. I directed the first episodes of " The Newcomers" and later the suffragette series " Shoulder To Shoulder" and " Edward and Mrs. Simpson" which won us an Emmy and Bafta. Verity was unique. She will leave a large vacuum in the world of Film and Television."

BBC Radio 4 have paid tribute to Lambert in the weekly obituary programme Last Word. The programme contains an interview with Jane Tranter and Joanna Lumley. It is avalable online for the next seven days on the BBC Radio player

11/22/2007 05:26:00 pm -
Reported by
R Alan Siler

21-year-old Australian fan Dimitry Telfer won a piece of plastic celery worn in the series by Peter Davison - and autographed by the actor - in an eBay auction raising funds for Children in Need.

Telfer's winning bid was 5,500 pounds. The BBC put the signed celery stick up for auction in aid of the children's charity last week, with bidding starting at just 99p.

Dimity told Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper: "I couldn't let an opportunity like that get away from me and it's for a great cause. I got into 'Doctor Who' in 2005 and I've been hooked. Peter Davison is my favourite."

11/20/2007 05:29:00 pm -
Reported by
R Alan Siler

The cover art for the upcoming Beneath the Surface DVD box set has been released, although the cover's designerClayton Hickman has noted on The Doctor Who Forum that this is not the finished version.

The set includes three classic stories: Doctor Who and the Silurians and The Sea Devils starring Jon Pertwee, andWarriors of the Deep starring Peter Davison. The three stories will be available as individual releases in addition to their inclusion in the box set.

11/20/2007 05:28:00 pm -
Reported by
R Alan Siler

November 20, 2007 • Posted By R. Alan Siler

In a press release today, BBC America issued the following statement:

"BBC AMERICA's all-time highest rated show, Torchwood, is back with a U.S. premiere second season, beginning January 26, 9:00pm ET/PT. Created by Russell T Davies, lead writer on the current Doctor Who series, Torchwood (13 x 60) is a BBC Production, distributed by BBC Worldwide."

Torchwood is set to debut on BBC2 "early 2008", and the press release describes the show's American airing as "close to its UK premiere".

The 7-disk Season One box set is set for release in America during that same week, on January 22nd.

The entire press release appears below:

JANUARY IS TORCHWOOD MONTH WITH THE RETURN OF BBC AMERICA'S HIT SCI-FI SHOW AND DVD RELEASE

BBC AMERICA's all-time highest rated show, Torchwood, is back with a U.S. premiere second season, beginning January 26, 9:00pm ET/PT. Created by Russell T Davies, lead writer on the current Doctor Who series, Torchwood (13 x 60) is a BBC Production, distributed by BBC Worldwide.

With guest stars including James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville), Alan Dale (Ugly Betty, The OC) and Doctor Who's Freema Agyeman, the show will air close to its UK premiere.

Richard De Croce, VP Programming, BBC AMERICA says: Torchwood has legions of loyal fans in the U.S. and we wanted to bring them the next season as soon as possible.

And fresh from its critically acclaimed airing on BBC AMERICA in September, Torchwood: The Complete First Season goes on sale January 22. The 7-disc DVD set includes over 6 hours of bonus features including outtakes and cast interviews.

Torchwood is an action-packed, adrenalin-fuelled sci-fi series following the adventures of a team of investigators, lead by Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who use alien technology to solve crime. With fearsome new aliens and compelling storylines the second season takes the close-knit Torchwood team through dare-devil action, temptation, heartache and a life changing event for one of the team.

Hollywood Reporter called it "...a crackling good, brilliantly conceived sci-fi series that targets actual grown-ups" while the Philadelphia Inquirer said it was "...super-slick, raw, bizarre, hilarious, spooky, scary and sublimely sexy."

BBC AMERICA brings audiences a new generation of award-winning television featuring razor-sharp comedies, provocative dramas, life-changing makeovers and news with a uniquely global perspective. BBC AMERICA pushes the boundaries to deliver high quality, highly addictive and eminently watchable programming to viewers who demand more. BBC AMERICA is distributed by Discovery Networks. It is available on digital cable and satellite TV. For more information about BBC AMERICA visit www.bbcamerica.com.

11/19/2007 05:30:00 pm -
Reported by
Josiah Rowe

November 19, 2007 • Posted By Josiah Rowe

The BBC's Doctor Who website has announced that the writers of Doctor Who Series 3have won the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Soap or Series (TV). (The other nominated series were New Tricks Series 4 and Life on Mars Series 2.)

All the writers of Series 3 (Chris Chibnall, Paul Cornell, Russell T. Davies, Stephen Greenhorn, Steven Moffat, Helen Raynor and Gareth Roberts) were honored. Cornell, Greenhorn, Moffat and Roberts were in attendance at the ceremony, which was held at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

11/17/2007 05:31:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Unofficial overnight figures show that the Children in Need Special, Time Crash, was the most watched programme on British Television on Friday.

Overall the Children in Need programme scored a rating of 9.4 millionviewers and was the most watched programme of the day.

The telethon peaked between 20:15 and 20:30, when the two Doctors special was shown, with 10.9 million viewers, a 45% share of the total television audience.

The programme won its time slot comprehensively, with the nearest opposition being The Thin Blue Line on ITV1, which scored 2.8 million against the Doctors.

When official figures are available, Time Crash could be the most watched segment of Doctor Who since the series returned in 2005. Rose achieved a rating of 10.8 million, but peaked at 11.3 million. Time Crash is also likely to beat EastEnders highest audience of the year, which currently stands at 11.0 million.

Around 2.5 million viewers watched the repeat of the segment at 00:45.

11/17/2007 05:31:00 pm -
Reported by
DWNP Archive

The display in Leicester opened on November 13 and will be there until January 6, 2008.

According to promotional material, it includes Martha's and the Master's costumes, as well as Weeping Angels, Witches (presumably Carrionites), Daleks and Cybermen plus other foes, although the official exhibitions site says there will be just one each of the Angels, Witches and Cybermen, plus a Dalek Encounter.

The centre also hopes to have exhibits from the Christmas special, Voyage of the Damned, in January.

Entry is free for all ticket-holders to the National Space Centre. However, school bookings do not include entry to the exhibition. The centre is open Tuesdays to Sundays. During school holidays, it is also open on Mondays.

The centre, in Exploration Drive, previously hosted an Up Close exhibition from November 22, 2005 to January 8, 2006.

11/15/2007 05:32:00 pm -
Reported by
Josiah Rowe

The Doctor Who News Page would like to remind its readers about "Time Crash", the special Doctor Who scene which will air Friday night as part of theChildren in Need telethon. The telethon airs on BBC One starting at 7:00. TheRadio Times indicates that Time Crash will air between 8:00 and 8:30, but the Children in Need schedule is always fluid, so this may or may not be accurate.

"Time Crash" stars David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor and Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. It is written by Steven Moffat and directed byGraeme Harper, who previously directed Peter Davison in his final Doctor Who story, The Caves of Androzani. The scene is expected to be between five and seven minutes long.

The BBC's Doctor Who website has announced that fans in the UK will be able to view "Time Crash" online for seven days after its broadcast, as well as a special Doctor Who Confidential featurette.

In addition to "Time Crash", the Children in Need telethon will include a singing appearance by John Barrowman, which is also scheduled by Radio Times in the 8:00-to-8:30 slot. Christmas special guest star Kylie Minogue will also be singing her new single, "2 Hearts", sometime during the evening's events.

On Thursday, Mark Shift of Clitheroe, Lancashire won a Children in Need auction for a day on the Doctor Who set. Shift entered the bidding for his five-year-old son Joshua (whom he describes as a "Doctor Who fanatic"), and won with a bid of 37,000 UK pounds. Shift is interviewed in The Clitheroe Advertiser, his local newspaper.

The Doctor Who News Page would like to remind its readers that the Doctor Who production team have contributed their time and talent freely, for the benefit of Children in Need. Children in Need funds are given to charity organizations which aid children in the UK. Readers can give to Children in Need online by following this link. Please give generously.

11/14/2007 05:33:00 pm -
Reported by
DWNP Archive

November 14, 2007 • Posted By Brigadier Bill

In a recent interview with BBC NEWS John Barrowman discussed his new CD,Another Side. He talked about the personal nature of some of the songs, his love of musical theater, and working under the busy schedule ofTorchwood series 2.

11/13/2007 05:34:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Unofficial overnight figures for week eight of The Sarah Jane Adventures show that part two of Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane? was watched by 1.1 million viewers, an8.5% share of the total TV audience.

The programme out-rated the ITV1 opposition Chris Tarrant's Great Pretender which got 1.0 million during the period the programmes overlapped.

The Appreciation Index for this programme was 85, once more putting the programme into the excellent category. It got a higher AI figure than any other programme on BBC1 on Monday.

On the digital channel CBBC, the first part of the new story The Lost Boy had 0.29 million viewers, an 13.6% share of all children watching.

11/11/2007 05:35:00 pm -
Reported by
DWNP Archive

November 11, 2007 • Posted By John Bowman

John Barrowman has revealed that the character of Captain Jack Harkness is returning to Doctor Who in Series Four.

There has been no official announcement by the BBC but in an interview on thisisnottingham.co.uk primarily about Barrowman's new CD, Another Side, the subject of Captain Jack is touched upon, about which he says: "I'm not in the Doctor Who Christmas special, but I come back in Series Four, which starts filming after Christmas."

11/10/2007 05:35:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

November 10, 2007 • Posted By Chuck Foster

Yesterday's Daily Express reported that the actress/popstar Kylie Minogue has not ruled out returning to Doctor Who in the future. In an interview she has been quoted as saying: "It's not up to me but I know there has been talk that my character could be reintroduced at a later date. We'll have to wait and see. I've always been a fan of Doctor Who and when you think how long it's been running, it is a series that is a unique piece of television history."

As well as the UK's Express, the story has been promoted by the World Entertainment News Network, with PR-Inside and Top News India(!) reporting on the story.

11/09/2007 05:37:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

November 9, 2007 • Posted By Marcus

DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE 389

Peter Davison and David Tennant compare notes on playing the Doctor in a joint interview in this month's Doctor Who Magazine. In an extensive interview with both Doctors they talk about the forthcoming Children in Need Special as well as discussing Davison's time on the show.

Also in this month's issue- Discover the most popular story of Series Three as the winners of 2007's DWM Awards are revealed- the writers of The Sarah Jane Adventures share their secrets about the making of the hit CBBC show- Mickey actor Noel Clarke 'fesses up as he answers questions from Out the TARDIS Tin- the latest full-colour comic strip, The First, reaches its conclusion- Russell T Davies confesses his love of multi-Doctor stories in Production Notes- 1979's Destiny of the Daleks is scrutinised in The Fact of Fiction

DWM 389 is available from Thursday 15 November 2007.

DOCTOR WHO – IN THEIR OWN WORDS VOLUME FOUR: 1982-86

This new 100-page Special Edition gathers the best of previous interviews from the magazine, as the cast and crew recall their part in the history of Doctor Who.

Volume Four covers the colourful exploits of the Fifth and Sixth Doctors, and unmasks a line-up of weird and wonderful adversaries – Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans, the Master, the Valeyard, and a green-painted panto horse! Find out how Davros got high, how low fandom sunk, and what happened when the BBC axed Doctor Who

11/08/2007 05:41:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

This months issue of Doctor Who Adventures features a look at ten of the scariest Dalek moments on television so far!

You can also discover more about the Fifth Doctor's return to the TARDIS in BBC One's Children in Need special on Friday 16 November.

ALSO IN THE ISSUE:

Tales from the TARDIS -- This issue, the Doctor traps the frightening Family of Blood.Comic strip -- part one of Waste Not. The Doctor and Martha land on the planet Zetheda, a planet that’s full of rubbish!Doctor’s Data -- meet Lucy Saxon, the Master’s wife.Posters -- four posters of Sarah Jane and the Graske, the Dalek Sec Hybrid, The Sound of Drums and Professor Lazarus.Make it! -- create your own spinning TARDIS illusion.Master minds -- take the quiz about the wicked Carrionites.Puzzles -- Doctor Who time teasers and the Woven Word Search!

This issue comes with the first part of a double-sided poster. Part two comes with issue 43.

11/08/2007 05:41:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

November 8, 2007 • Posted By Chuck Foster

The comedy drama Learners will be broadcast on BBC1 this coming Sunday (11th) at 9:00pm, and stars Jessica Hynes (Joan from Human Nature/Family of Blood), David Tennant (Who?!) and Shaun Dingwall(Rose's father Pete Tyler).

Promotion for the programme is gearing up, with Hynes (who also wrote the drama) having appeared on today's Breakfast (BBC1). As well as discussion of the new drama, it was inevitable that conversation would turn to her appearance with Tennant in Doctor Who last season! "It's a real treat being part of that 'gang'; it's a real institution, Doctor Who, and I particularly love David as Doctor Who, and Russell T Davies's interpretation of Doctor Who. It's fantastic, it's the best thing on television; to be part of it, and to be able to play a real role as well, is a gift."

Tomorrow will see David Tennant himself appearing on ITV1's Entertainment Today (from around 8:35am - possibly on GMTV beforehand too).

You can read more about Learners from the BBC Press releases from April and July. The BBC have also posted anofficial YouTube clip to promote the programme.

11/08/2007 05:40:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

This week's edition of The Stage features an interview with current Doctor David Tennant, who claims to be the least sexy man on the planet.

In the interview Tennant talks about his forthcoming engagement with the RSC as Hamlet, his new role in the guise of a driving instructor for the BBC1 comedy-drama Learners and of course his current tenure as the Time lord.

Talking about Doctor Who he says:

"You could find yourself in the present or hundreds of years in the past – or five billion years in the future. And the standard of the writing and of the stories is extremely high. I might tweak the odd line here or there, but I'd never dream of pointing out to the writers, in that hackneyed phrase, that my character wouldn’t say this or do that. Russell [T Davies] is the best, so why play around with the best?"

11/07/2007 05:43:00 pm -
Reported by
Chuck Foster

November 7, 2007 • Posted By Chuck Foster

John Barrowman will once again don his tights for an annual pantomime performance, this year appearing at the Birmingham Hippodrome for their production of Aladdin between 19th December and 27th January.

According to the show publicity, the production will also feature the Daleks in their very first pantomime appearance!

John Barrowman will head the cast of the glittering pantomime spectacular ALADDIN.

The popular and multi-talented, singer, actor, presenter and time-travelling friend of Dr Who, flies onto the Birmingham Hippodrome stage from 19 December 2007 to 27 January 2008.

Appearing alongside John is Birmingham’s very own multi-talented DON MACLEAN as Widow Twankey; the hilarious GRUMBLEWEEDS as The Chinese Policemen; MASASHI FUJIMOTO from the BBC sitcom Roman’s Empire as The Emperor; with PETER GALLAGHER as the evil Abanazar and introducing the beautiful LILA McCONIGLEY as Princess Yasmin. Aladdin will also feature a special appearance by the DALEKS making their pantomime debut!

ALADDIN also features breathtaking special effects, costumes and sets and a spectacular 3D digital Genie and carpet ride viewed by the audience with 3D glasses.

11/07/2007 05:42:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Unofficial overnight figures for week seven of The Sarah Jane Adventures show that the first part of Whatever Happened to Sarah Jane?was watched by 1.2 million viewers, an 9.6% share of the total TV audience.

The Appreciation index for this episode was once again 85 putting it in the excellent category once more.

On the digital channel CBBC, the second part of the story had 0.38 millionviewers, an 18% share of all children watching. This digital audience was a big increase on the previous week's figures.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Savoy in London on November 27. The event will be hosted by actorRichard Wilson, who played Dr Constantine in the Piper/Eccleston episodes The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances.

11/06/2007 05:44:00 pm -
Reported by
Anthony Weight

Titan Publications have released a preview of the front cover image for the very first edition of their new, officially-licensed Torchwood Magazine, due to be released in January 2008.

The cover features John Barrowman as Torchwood's main character Captain Jack Harkness alongside Freema Agyeman, who guest stars asMartha Jones, crossing over from Doctor Who, in three episodes of next year's second series of Torchwood. Further information on the magazine is available from Titan's website. Click the thumbnail below for a larger image of the cover.

11/06/2007 05:44:00 pm -
Reported by
DWNP Archive

Totalling nearly 68 minutes, they will include documentaries entitled The Depths - Making Warriors of the Deep andThey Came From Beneath The Sea, as well as a feature about model-maker and visual effects wizard Mat Irvine.

11/05/2007 05:45:00 pm -
Reported by
Anthony Weight

November 5, 2007 • Posted By Paul Hayes

The official website of the BBC's Radio Times listings magazine has released details of its new issue, due out tomorrow in the UK, including an image of the cover. For the 15th time since the return of Doctor Who in 2005 (including multiple covers in the same week), the series is the main feature, promoting the special episode "Time Crash", due to be shown on BBC One on Friday November 16th as part of the annual Children in Need charity telethon event.

The cover image features Peter Davison and David Tennant as the Fifth and Tenth Doctors, who meet for the first time in this special episode. The preview on the Radio Times website promises an exclusive on-set report from the making of the mini-episode. Click the thumbnail below for a larger image of the cover.

11/03/2007 05:49:00 pm -
Reported by
Anthony Weight

The BBC have officially released a promotional image of a Sontaran, the race of clone warriors from the classic series who are returning to the show in series four of the new series.

The BBC News Online report, featuring the photo, also states that their return adventure will see new companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) meetFreema Agyeman's Martha Jones for the first time. Tate, Agyeman and David Tennant are all featured alongside the Sontaran in the promotional shot.

The official website also has a report and images, one of which is included right. The image is BBC copyright, and used purely to promote the programme.

UPDATE (NOV 4): The Press Association has named the Sontaran in the picture as Commander Skorr, played by Dan Starkey.

It was revealed in May that The Sea Devils was being prepared for release on DVD, with the news that the Restoration Team were hoping to track down naval personnel who were involved with or who witnessed the filming - in particular, a rating believed to have shot some cine footage.

A release date for the box set has not yet been announced but the BBFC classified Warriors of the Deep on November 1 - the same day it did the extras for The Sea Devils.

Extras for Doctor Who and the Silurians were classified on October 31, and the story was classified on November 1 - with episode seven listed as "Episode 7/Doctor Who - Next Week", which implies a contemporaneous trailer for The Ambassadors of Death is included at the end.

11/02/2007 05:50:00 pm -
Reported by
DWNP Archive

The National Media Museum in Bradford is honouring former Doctor Who script editor and prolific author Terrance Dicks with a career retrospective later this month.

Dicks, whose work on the show stretches back to The Invasion in 1968 and who was script editor throughout the Jon Pertwee era, will be at the museum to discuss his time in TV and work as an author.

The Terrance Dicks: Three Decades in Television and Beyond event takes place on Saturday, November 24.

The museum says the interview will be illustrated with rare photographs from its collection plus clips from shows Dicks has been involved with, such as The Avengers, Moonbase 3, Space: 1999, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Vanity Fair, and Doctor Who.

The discussion will be followed by a screening of his 1980 Doctor Who story State of Decay, from Tom Baker's final season.

11/01/2007 05:53:00 pm -
Reported by
Anthony Weight

November 1, 2007 • Posted By Paul Hayes

The Stage, The Guardian and The Sun all give coverage today to David Tennant's praise for former Controller of BBC One Peter Fincham and his Head of Publicity Jane Fletcher at last night's National Television Awards ceremony in London.

Fincham and Fletcher were forced to resign from their positions at the BBC last month following the so-called "Crowngate" controversy, where an audience of journalists at a BBC press launch were shown a misleading preview of a programme about the Queen. Both were publicly acknowledged by Tennant during his acceptance speech, screened live last night on ITV1.

Although Fincham arrived at BBC One after the first season of the new Doctor Who had already been a success in 2005, Tennant praised the support both he and Fletcher had given the programme over the past two years, and said that they would be greatly missed.

The Stage quotes Tennant as saying that: "Peter and Jane were fantastic supporters of our show and brilliant at their jobs. It is a real shame they have gone. They were very much a part of our team. It feels very different without them and I am sad about that."

The Guardian adds praise from Freema Agyeman, particularly for the ex-Head of Publicity Fletcher. "She always had so many other shows [to work on] but it felt like a personal relationship."

11/01/2007 05:52:00 pm -
Reported by
Marcus

Moffatt had a long and distinguished career in British television working on some of the nations best known drama series including All Creatures Great and Small, Juliet Bravo and Within These Walls.

For Doctor Who he directed six stories starting with the 1980 Tom Baker story State of Decay and finishing with the 1985 story The Two Doctorswhich featured both the second and the sixth Doctors.

He was something of a specialist in multi Doctor stories having also directed the 20th anniversary story The Five Doctors which was shown as part of the BBC's 1983 Children in Need programme.

In recent years he was involved in the production of the Classic series DVD's, providing a commentary to a number of his stories. A retrospective of his work was featured as an extra on the DVD release of the 1982 story The Visitation.